How to Make Portuguese Kale Soup

Though you can make Portuguese kale soup using short cuts, it is much better to make your own broth. If you do not want to make your own broth, use eight cups of canned chicken or pork broth for the liquid.

The potatoes can be peeled or unpeeled. If you leave the peels on, you get more nutrients and flavor. The smoked sausage can be mild or spicy, but the spicy sausage gives this soup a bit of a kick.

Boil the all of the ingredients for the stock plus the beans, bay leaves and oregano in a large stock pot for at least four hours. Let the broth reduce to about eight cups. Remove the pork shoulder bone. If there was any meat on it, you can leave the meat in the pot.

Slice the smoked sausage into bite-size pieces. Brown the outside of the sausage in the olive oil for about five minutes. At the last minute, add the minced garlic. Saute for one or two minutes. Remove from heat.

Add the sausage to the broth. Remove the stems from the kale, and julienne the kale. Cut the potatoes and onions into quarters. Add the chile pepper, paprika, kale, onions, potatoes and carrots to the broth. Let simmer for one to two hours until potatoes are soft.

For a creamy tomato soup, you'll want to stick to the main ingredients: heavy cream and butter. Slightly healthier versions of this classic soup exist, but only the real stuff offers the right flavor and taste.

If you've ever tried to perfect your soup stock skills and have come up short, here are some suggestions and tips for making the most delicious stock you will ever taste. My recipes are only a guideline, so feel free to add your own herbs and vegetables to make a truly unique stock.

Pasta e fagioli is an Italian soup-stew. Save broken pasta (such as lasagna) and leftover beans to use in this pasta e fagioli recipe. It's thrifty, flavorful and versatile. It can be made from just about any kind of pasta and beans, and can be made vegetarian by omitting the bacon and using vegetable stock. Serve half the batch for dinner and freeze the other half for when you need a fast meal.